The present invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors, and particularly relates to an electrical connector having an electromagnetic shield. A conventional connector generally includes an insulating housing, a receptacle defined within the housing, and a plurality of conductive terminals held by the housing within the receptacle, whereby a mating plug may be inserted into the receptacle for electrically contacting the terminals. The known housing is rectilinear in shape. Such a conventional connector additionally includes an electromagnetic shield which covers portions of the insulating housing.
One type of known shield covers a mating side and two opposite sides of the housing. This type of shield may be formed from a strip-shaped blank which is formed in a U-shape to cover the housing. This type of shield is inexpensive and requires little material to make. The two opposite sides of the shield each includes a respective retaining leg for mounting the connector to a circuit board. In particular, the two retaining legs may be inserted through respective apertures in the circuit board and secured by soldering. A connector having such a strip-shaped type of shield includes retaining legs located only at two lateral sides. Additionally, such a shield leaves two sides of the housing uncovered, providing those exposed sides with no shielding against electromagnetic interference. A connector utilizing such a strip-shaped shield may be suitable for certain applications wherein the connector subjected to minimal mechanical force and electromagnetic interference. Unfortunately, a connector having this configuration, having only two mounting legs, is known to loosen after a period of use in many applications, resulting in poor electrical contact with the circuit board or ultimately causing the connector to detach from the circuit board after repeated insertion and extraction of a mating connector.
The above mentioned mounting problem and lack of shielding coverage can be somewhat overcome by providing a shield which covers all four sides, as well as the mating side. Such a shield is formed from a cross-shaped blank cut from a sheet, having the mating panel located in a center of the cross-shaped blank, with each of the sides extending from its four sides. The shield is then shaped by bending each of the four sides perpendicularly. Unfortunately, this cross-shaped configuration increases the material used, thus increasing manufacturing costs. Substantially more material is wasted from a metal sheet from which cross-shaped shield blanks are cut as compared to a sheet from which strip-shaped shield blanks are cut. The increased amount of material used in making cross-shaped shield blanks inevitably increases the manufacturing costs.
The present invention overcomes the problems of prior connectors by providing an improved shield. Instead of cutting the shield blank in the shape of a cross, the shield of the invention is made from two strip-shaped members, thereby greatly reducing the amount of wasted material. Each of the strip-shaped members is bent in a U-shape forming a central mating panel and two sides panels perpendicularly extending therefrom. The two U-shaped shield members are secured over a generally or rectilinear housing such that each member covers two opposite side surfaces of the housing. Each of the four side panels may include a retaining leg. The central mating panels of the two shields overlap across a mating surface of the housing.
More specifically, in an embodiment, the present invention provides a shielded electrical connector including an insulative housing having a mating surface, a mounting surface, at least one side surface extending from the mating surface, and terminal cavities extending through the housing. Conductive terminals are disposed in the terminal cavities in the housing. Each of the terminals has a contact portion for mating with terminals of a mating connector and a tail portion for engaging conductors on a circuit board. Additionally, the connector includes a first conductive shield on the housing including a mating panel disposed on the mating surface of the housing and a side panel covering a side surface of the housing and a second conductive shield including a mating wall disposed on the mating panel of the first conductive shield and a side wall covering a side surface of the housing.
In an embodiment, the housing has a first pair of opposed sides and the first conductive shield has a pair of side panels that cover the first pair of opposed sides of the housing.
In an embodiment, the housing has a second pair of opposed sides and the second conductive shield has a pair of side walls that cover the second pair opposed sides. In an embodiment, outer edges of the side wall of the second conductive shield each includes a flange for engaging a side panel of the first conductive shield.
In an embodiment, outer edges of the side wall of the second conductive shield each includes a flange for insertion between the side panel of the first conductive shield and an adjacent side surface of the housing.
In an embodiment, the side panel of the first conductive shield includes a mounting foot for engagement with the circuit board.
In an embodiment, the side panel of the first conductive shield includes a ground contact for engaging a shield of a complementary mating connector.
In an embodiment, the side wall of the second conductive shield includes a mounting foot for engagement with the circuit board.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrical connector having electromagnetic shields that can be manufactured inexpensively with little waste of material.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrical connector which is securely mountable to a circuit board.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrical connector which has good electromagnetic shielding.
Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrical connector with a two-piece shield such that one of the two shielding elements can be removed to suit a particular low-cost application, yet which still provides partial electromagnetic shielding and means for mounting to a circuit board.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following detailed description, the claims and the Figures.